Penance
by November Rain 19
Summary: TK and Kari have kept a horrible secret for 15 years. Will they be able to ask for forgiveness when the burden becomes too much to bear?


Forgiveness Author's Notes: Sadly, this idea was not mine to begin with, no matter how much I wish that it was. This is basically the episode of 'Third Watch' that aired a few weeks ago, except I've adapted it to Digimon. I just pray the deities at NBC won't draw and quarter me....... 

The flashbacks and scenes from the past are in italics. Sora is 31. Takeru and Kari are 28. 

Dedication: For AntoniAnime.   
  
  


Penance   
by Melissa 

  
  


_"And there's only 1.7 seconds left on the clock. The Odaiba Vengeance is down by 2 points to their arch rivals, the Tokyo Rage. The guard for the Vengeance inbounds the ball from half court to their star forward, Takeru Takaishi. He gets a screen from a teammate and an open look from behind the three point line! He let's it go just moments before the buzzer goes off! It's good! It's good! Nothing but net!! The Vengeance win!!"_

The words from the announcer still echoed in Takeru's ears as he got dressed after the game. Even though he had been drafted to play basketball right out of college, the thrill of victory hadn't diminished over all these years. 

After changing, he put on his jacket and headed out of the arena. He was looking forward to nothing more than going back to the apartment that he shared with the woman he loved and taking a long, hot shower. 

While walking to his car, he passed a young woman wearing a light pink coat. Takeru didn't give it a second thought until the voice of that young woman made him stop dead in his tracks. 

"TK?" 

That nickname was something that he hadn't been called in years. There was only one person who would still have called him that after all this time. 

Takeru turned around slowly and his eyes met with those of Kari. 

She looked very different from the last time Takeru had seen her. If he recalled correctly, that was at their high school graduation. A decade had certainly changed her. Her hair was long now, tied back behind her head. She was extremely thin as well. The dark circles under her eyes spoke louder than any words. 

It took Takeru a moment to find his voice. "Hello Kari." He was obviously a bit shaken by this confrontation. 

Kari smiled, but only slightly. "It's been a long time." 

'Not long enough,' Takeru thought. He kept his comment to himself. 

He decided to cut through the pleasantries. "What are you doing here?" 

"Well, I'm back in Japan because my father is very sick," she began. "The reason I came to see you was that......" she trailed off and got a distant look on her face. 

A horrible thought suddenly occurred to Takeru as memories suddenly assaulted his conscience. "I sincerely hope you are not implying what I think you are implying," he stated flatly. 

Kari's stare got icy and her words dripped with venom. "So what if I am??" she spat. "Don't you think it's time to come clean?" 

He gave her an exasperated look. "After fifteen years you finally decide to grow a conscience. How nice for you," he said sarcastically. "Excuse me if I don't want to go digging up the past." 

"Why? We're the ones who buried it." 

The two fell silent, as if the tension in the air had grown too thick to let words penetrate. 

Takeru's mouth had become a thin line of determination. "Excuse me, I have to go," he said as he brushed past her. 

Kari turned slightly and watched him go. "We have to talk about this some more Takeru. She deserves to know!" she called after him. 

He stopped in mid stride as if he was going to reply back. There was really nothing to say though. The words hung in the air as he continued on his way.   
  


Takeru drove the whole way home in silence. The elation he had felt after his game was now replaced with dreading and sorrow. 

'Why did she have to come back now, or ever for that matter?' he wondered. 

Takeru focused on the dull, rhythmic beating of his heart as he drove. He recalled something he had heard about the past. Those who do not learn from it, are doomed to repeat it. 

Takeru was repeating it in the sense he was reliving it inside his head. After so many years of burying it inside his mind, it was now at the surface invading his thoughts. 

And there was nothing he could do to escape.   
  


The star basketball player pulled into the driveway of his home a short while latter. Before exiting his car, he rested his head on the steering wheel to try and compose himself. 

He exited the car and jogged nimbly up the steps and right through the unlocked door. 

After tossing aside his gear, coat and keys he went in search of the woman he loved. 

Sora was in the kitchen fixing dinner. Takeru approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. 

Sora smiled slightly. "Oh Joe, you're early tonight......," she teased as she turned around to face him. 

Takeru had a mock mortified look on his face. "Hey, you're not Mimi.....," he said while trying to suppress a laugh. 

Sora whacked him with the spoon in her hand. "Mimi??" she said as she cocked an eyebrow. 

"Joe??" he replied back. 

Only a moment passed before they broke into uncontrollable laughter. Takeru was grateful for the one moment he was able to forget about everything else and joke with his girlfriend. 

The moment was far too short though. 

Sora immediately got concerned when his smile faded. He looked like hell. 

"Is everything all right? Did the game go OK?" 

"Yeah, the game was fine. Yours truly scored the game winning basket." 

She gently lifted her hand and brushed the hair away from his forehead. "Somehow I thought you'd be happier. You look so pale." Her eyes were full of concern. "Almost like you've seen a ghost." 

Takeru winced at the words. There was more truth to his lover's words than she'll ever know. 

"I'm just tired, that's all. I think I'll take a shower and go to bed early tonight." 

"OK....." Sora sounded as if she didn't believe him. 

Much to Takeru's relief, she didn't press any further. 

He gave a quick kiss before turning on his heels and heading for their bedroom.   
  


Takeru stripped off his clothing piece by piece as he headed for the adjoining bathroom. He paused for a moment to turn on the shower. 

After waiting a short time he stepped into the shower, sliding the glass door shut behind him. 

He gritted his teeth for a moment and hissed in momentary pain as the scalding hot water pummeled his muscular back. The sensation didn't last long and he relaxed his tense body. 

Takeru stood there for a little while, just letting the water beat him as well as the tile that surrounded him. The sound was soothing. 

He turned slightly and placed his forearm against the glass door. Despite the high temperature of the shower, the glass was cool to the touch. He leaned forward and rested his cheek against the cold glass. His exhausted mind began to wander. 

_The look of pure rage in his friend's eyes._   


_He charged after him, while his back was turned._   


_"Look out!!"_   


_"Oh God...."_   


_"It's not your fault."_   


Takeru's eyes snapped open as he released a suppressed cry. His heart was hammering against his chest and he was breathing heavily. 

Tears slid down from his cheeks and mixed with the water all ready streaming down his body. 

After an indeterminate amount of time, he turned off the water. He stepped out, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his torso. 

He paused for a moment and heard the sounds of the television in the living room before going into the bedroom. He was grateful for the fact that Sora would not see him in his present state. It was obvious he had been crying, and he didn't feel like sharing what was going on inside him. 

Grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt he slipped them on and then sat on the edge of his bed. He then flopped backwards. His body and mind were exhausted, but he was fighting like hell to keep sleep from claiming him. 

He was afraid to dream.   
  


True to form, Takeru did not sleep well at all. As a result he was dead tired the nest day. To make matters worse, he had practice. 

He left the house very early, much earlier than normal. There was something he had to do first. 

After ten minutes, Takeru pulled down a road in a quite part of town. He pulled over to the side and then exited his car. He walked around and leaned against the passenger side. He stared straight ahead at a small white house. He seemed mesmerized by it. He hadn't visited this house in years. 

'What the hell am I doing here?' he wondered to himself. His mind was trying to get him to leave, but his heart was making him stay. He didn't get to contemplate much further as his thoughts were interrupted by a faint squeaking sound. 

Takeru turned towards the sound and his eyes widened. Walking down the sidewalk was a woman, who appeared to be in her mid fifties, pulling a small cart with groceries. 

He hastily bent down and pretended to be checking his tires as the woman drew closer. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she walked up to the small white house and then into it. 

Takeru stood up and continued to stare at the house, a look of worry splayed across his features. He hadn't been expecting to see the woman at all this morning. 

He suddenly realized the reason he was there. 

'Part of my punishment,' he thought sadly as he got into his car and drove away.   


He arrived at the arena a short while later. He walked into the locker room and was confronted with the sight of most of his teammates sitting around in a circle. The were laughing and carrying on. Takeru walked up to them and listened to one of the forwards, who was in the middle of a story. 

"....my friend and I climbed up that dilapidated old water tower and spray painted our initials." he said through a grin. 

"That's nothing," a guard chimed in. "I used to ride on my skate board while holding onto the back of a bus," he said as he beamed. 

"I used to car surf," another guard said. This drew nods and signs of approval from the rest of the team. 

The back up center looked up and noticed Takeru. "We're talking about all the dumb and dangerous things we used to do as kids. How about you Takaishi?" 

Takeru felt his mouth go dry as everyone on the team turned to look at him. 

"C'mon Takeru. There's got to be something you've done that you're not proud of." 

Before Takeru could answer, their coach walked in and interrupted. 

"OK ladies. You do not get paid to sit around and chat. Let's go practice." 

Takeru was grateful for the interruption. Sighing heavily, he went to his locker and got ready for practice.   
  


As Takeru got dressed after practice, he heard his cell phone ring. After fumbling around in his pockets, he finally found it and clicked it on. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey love," Sora's voice answered. 

"Hey. What's up? I was just on my way home." 

"Well, you might want to make a little side trip first. Kari called." 

'Damnit!' Takeru swore in his mind. 'What the hell is she doing calling my house?' 

"You still there?" Sora asked after several moments of silence. 

"Yeah. Sorry," he muttered. 

"She said that she's at the hospital visiting her father. You should really go and see her, she seemed really upset." 

"And you're ok with me going to see her?" he asked, trying very hard to get out of this. 

"Oh please. If I was that insecure about you talking with other women, I would personally have to kill every single one that asked you for an autograph after your games. And I just don't have the time, nor the space, to hide all those bodies." 

Takeru smiled. Sora could always make him laugh. 

"And besides, this isn't just some stranger. This is Kari." 

"OK, I'll stop by and see her," he finally relented. 

"Good. I'll see you tonight then. Love you." 

"I love you too," he said as he hung up the phone.   
  


Twenty minutes later Takeru found himself in Odaiba Memorial hospital. The receptionist had informed him that Mr. Kamiya was on the third floor. 

He took the stairs up and stood before the door of the room. After taking a huge breath, he pushed it open. 

Kari was sitting next to her father's bed, reading a book. He was obviously asleep. She glanced up as the door opened. 

"Hello TK." 

"Don't 'hello' me," he said angrily. "What are you doing calling my house?" 

"We need to talk," she said evenly. "I knew I couldn't convince you to see me again, but I knew Sora could." 

Takeru was seething. "Why did you have to come back and ruin my life?!" he shouted. 

Kari stood up and crossed the short distance between them. She brought her face mere inches from his. 

"First of all, you lower your tone," she said, her voice dangerously low as she glanced at her father. "Second of all, I think you played just as big a part in this as I did." 

Takeru threw up his hands in disgust. He was about to leave when Kari spoke again. 

"I called her today," she said quietly. 

He stared at her coldly. 

"I'm going to see her today around three o'clock. The reason I called your house was to see if you wanted to come with me." 

"Please tell me that you didn't," Takeru pleaded. 

"No more lies, TK. I can't do this anymore. I need to get this off of my chest." 

"Don't you think that's selfish? You want to destroy that woman. Because that is exactly what is going to happen if you tell her. She's at peace with it, and you have no right to take that away from her. Why do you want to bring this back up after all this time?" 

"To amend for it. To ask forgiveness for not telling the truth the first time." 

Takeru shook his head. The problem with Kari was that once she set her mind to something, there was no way around it. 

"I have to go," Takeru mumbled, making his way towards the door. 

"Now who's being selfish?" Kari said coldly. After a minute she softened her tone. "Please, TK. Three o'clock." 

Takeru didn't reply, he just let the door swing shut behind him.   


Takeru spent the next couple of hours driving around the city, trying to distract himself. He went to the park and played a few pickup games with the local kids. He stopped for a milkshake and even went to the museum and took a tour. Anything to get his mind off of Kari. 

On his way home, the usual route he took was blocked off because of construction. 

Groaning, he backed up and started searching for a detour. He made a quick right turn, hoping to cut across to the road he wanted. 

While driving down the street, he passed the same white house he had visited that morning. And standing in front of it was Kari. 

Takeru glanced at the clock. It was nearly 3. He winced inwardly and hit the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse, he backed up and once again parked across the street. 

When he got out of the car, Kari's eyes lit up momentarily. 

"I didn't think you would come," she said. 

"I wasn't going to," he replied. "Fate had other plans though." 

"Ready?" she asked after a moment. 

Takeru nodded, trying to steel himself for what was to come. 

Slowly, they mounted the steps to the crimson front door of the white house. Kari raised her hand and pressed the doorbell once. 

A moment later, the same lady whom Takeru had seen this morning opened the door. Her face lit up at the sight of the two people on her doorstep. 

"TK! Kari! I can't believe it's really you!" 

"Hello Mrs. Motomiya," they said in unison. 

"Come in. Come in," she said as she opened the door. 

Mrs. Motomiya led the way into her living room talking as she went. 

"I can't believe you really came. I was so glad that you called and I'm even happier now that you are here. I had just talked to Jun right before you rang the bell. I'm a grandmother again," the woman was beaming with pride. 

"Congratulations," Takeru said, as he eyed all of the pictures that adorned the walls. 

Mrs. Motomiya took a seat in an old chair. Kari perched herself upon the love seat and Takeru took up position in the entrance to the hallway. 

"How many kids do you have?" 

Takeru blinked a couple of times and Kari shook her head. 

"TK and I aren't together, Mrs. Motomiya." 

"Oh? Somehow I always thought you two would have stayed a couple. You just seemed to belong together," the woman replied, obviously surprised. 

An awkward silence followed. 

"Well, anyway. After you called I went up to the attic and pulled out all of the old photo albums." She sat forward in her chair and patted the stack of books on the coffee table. "They're full of pictures of you, Kari and Davis." Her statement was towards Takeru. 

Kari and Takeru looked at each other. They were each waiting for the other one to speak. Neither of them said anything though. 

Mrs. Motomiya alternating looking at the two digidestined. She was concerned, and slightly confused. The look reminded the child of hope of the same look the woman had when they had told her what had happened all those years ago. 

That was the final straw. Takeru couldn't stay there any longer. 

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Motomiya. I have to be going." 

"So soon?" 

"Yeah. But it was good seeing you again," Takeru politely inclined his head. "I'll show myself out." 

Mrs. Motomiya looked at Kari with confusion. 

"I'll be right back," Kari said as she left her seat and chased after Takeru. 

Outside, Kari managed to catch up with Takeru before he got into his car. 

"Where do you think you're going?" Kari demanded. 

"You wanted me to show up and I showed up. Why are you yelling at me?" 

"Aren't you going to tell her?" Kari demanded. 

"Me?? I thought you were going to! You're the one who wanted this so badly." 

Kari looked at him pensively. "You think this is easy for me?" 

Takeru folded his arms across his chest. "I don't understand why you want to ruin that woman's life. She's at peace with it, why can't you be??" 

"I tried to be for the longest time. Telling myself that it was just an accident, or that there was nothing we could have done. I was hoping if I told myself those lies long enough, I would start to believe them." 

Kari paused, trying to fight the tears that were now brimming in her eyes. 

"It didn't work though. So I tried to forget. I traveled half a world away to forget, but all I did was remember. Every single day for the past fifteen years, that's all I've done. It's killing me, TK. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. I would rather be in my grave than live with this any longer. That's not a possibility just yet. I still have a long life of remembering ahead of me." 

Takeru was now close to tears himself. 

"I'm going to go back into that house now and visit with that woman. I'm going to sit there and look at those pictures with her. I'm going to laugh and I'm going to cry." 

"Why?" Takeru said with a breaking voice. 

"Maybe because it's part of my penance," she said as she turned away. "Good-bye Takeru." 

He watched as she disappeared back inside the house. He unlocked the door to his car and climbed in. 

Sighing, he pulled away from the curb. He knew what had to come next. 

It was time for part of his penance.   
  


Sora heard the sound of the front door opening. She smiled to herself as she set the table for dinner. 

'He's on time for a change,' she thought as she smirked to herself. 

She finished up and headed into the living room. 

"So how was your visit with Kari....." she trailed off as she caught sight of her love. 

He was sitting on the couch, with his head buried in his hands. His body shook with sobs. When he heard her approach, he lifted her gaze to meet hers. 

Sora gazed at him, her eyes filled with worry. 

"What's wrong?" she asked, a note of sadness in her voice. 

Takeru smiled bitterly. "There's something I need to tell you." 

Sora nodded and waited for him to continue. She hadn't the slightest idea of what could have upset Takeru so. 

Takeru stared at his hands and spoke softly. "Do you remember what happened 15 years ago?" 

Sora's brow creased as she tried to figure out what he was referring to. It suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She opened her mouth to speak, but Takeru cut her off. 

"I've been keeping this a secret," he said miserably. "Seeing Kari again brought it all back after all this time." 

Takeru went into his story.   


*Flashback, 15 years ago* 

_"C'mon guys!" Kari yelled to TK and Davis._

_They were playing on the rocks on the beach. TK and Davis, as always, had to make everything into a competition. They were racing to see who would be the first to reach Kari._

_Davis reached Kari a millisecond before TK did. While the two guys were friends, they were also rivals. Especially for Kari's affections._

_Kari wasn't much help either. She enjoyed pitting them against one another. She liked watching them fight over her._

_"I won!" Davis crowed. "How about a kiss for the victor?" he asked Kari._

_Kari smiled sweetly, and then went over to TK and gave him a kiss on the cheek instead. Davis was enraged by this._

_"Lighten up Davis. Don't you know that first is worst, second is best?" TK said jokingly._

_Kari laughed as she wrapped her arms around TK's neck, while TK spun them around in circles. They had no idea that that one action had sent Davis over the edge._

_Bending down, Davis picked up a rock. He wasn't thinking straight and anger clouded his judgment._

_TK never noticed the look of pure rage in his friend's eyes._

_Davis gripped the rock tightly and stalked towards the two. After a moment he charged after TK, while his back was turned._

_Kari saw Davis running at them from over TK's shoulder. She screamed._

_"Look out!!"_

_TK had just enough time to react and dodge out of the way. If he had not, Davis would have hit him full force._

_Davis recovered from his miss quickly._

_"You stay away from her," he roared, still brandishing the rock._

_TK was angry now. "No. You're just afraid of a little competition."_

_Kari watched, mesmerized by her friends fighting over her. She giggled. "Oh stop, you two," she said in a very non serious tone._

_Davis charged again, but this time TK was ready for him. Davis swung the hand with the rock in it, but TK caught and held onto his wrist. After knocking the rock loose, he released his hold. Then in one fluid motion, he countered with a right hook to Davis' jaw._

_The force of the blow made Davis stumble backwards and the lose his balance. He fell backwards, his head striking a small out cropping of rock._

_The sound of bone and rock colliding was sickening. Davis simply lay there, unmoving._

_"Oh God....," Kari whispered._

_The two ran to their friend's side._

_Davis' eyes were open, but his stare was completely blank. The rocks he was laying on were slowly being covered with blood._

_"What do we do??" Kari asked frantically._

_"Run," TK managed to croak out. "Get help."_

_Kari nodded, though obviously shaken. She took off as fast as she could._

_TK turned his eyes back to his fallen friend. "I'm sorry...God, I'm sorry. Please get up.....please....."_

_He could not remember any point in his 13 years that he had been this frightened. He had no idea what to do._

_He stayed beside his friend begging and pleading for him to be all right. It wasn't long before the police and paramedics showed up. There was nothing that could be done. Davis had died instantly from the blow to his head._

_TK and Kari sat together on the ground near one of the police cruisers. Kari was sobbing uncontrollably and TK could do nothing but stare off into space._

_A well dressed police officer eventually approached them._

_"I'm sorry to have to do this right now, but can you tell me what happened."_

_TK swallowed hard. "We were playing down on the rocks and....."_

_".......Davis tripped and fell," Kari finished._

_"We were racing and he lost his footing."_

_"Then I went to get help and TK stayed with Davis."_

_The police officer nodded and jotted some things down in the notebook he was carrying. Shaking his head sadly, he looked at the two young children._

_"I'm very sorry. This is such a tragedy. Then again, most accidents are."_

_TK could feel tears streaming down his cheeks. Not only had he killed his friend, he had just helped to lie and cover it up._

_"It's not your fault, you know. Sometimes these things just happen." The cop then turned and left._

_Shortly after the incident. TK and Kari had made a pact to never speak of this again. To lock this secret away. To bury it just like they had buried Davis in the cold ground._

_Davis wasn't the only one who had died that day. Part of Takeru and Kari had too._

*End Flashback*   
  


Takeru looked at his girlfriend as he finished his tale. 

"I killed him, Sora. I killed him, and then I lied about it." 

Sora felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She had no idea. She and the rest of the digidestined had heard the same version as was told to the cop. 

She crossed the room and sat next to Takeru, the man she loved with all of her heart. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him while he cried. Trying to assure him that it was just an accident. 

"It doesn't matter. He's still dead because of me. He was my leader, and my friend," Takeru said through his sobs. 

Sora fell silent and gently rocked him back and forth. There was nothing that could be said that would take away the hurt he was feeling. All she hoped was that now that he had shared his secret, that the pain wouldn't be so great. She believed that confession was good for the soul. She was praying that that belief was not in vain.   
  


The following day, both Sora and Takeru went to the beach. To the exact spot where Davis had died. 

Sora stood off a little ways and watched her lover with sad eyes. 

Takeru knelt down and touched the rock with his hand. Although the years had washed away the blood, it was still there in Takeru's mind. 

"I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I'm going to make it right though. You have my word," he whispered. 

After a moment, he got up and he and Sora went to their car. Their destination was Mrs. Motomiya's small white house with the red front door. 

Takeru had heard once that the road to recovery began by forgiving yourself. 

He couldn't do that just yet. 

First, he had to go and beg the forgiveness of a woman whose son he had taken away from her. 

That was the other part of his penance.   
  


The End.   


More Author's Notes. I know I didn't do the real episode, or the idea, any justice. I would still like to know your thoughts on it though. Until next time. 

... again you search for what had gone wrong, realizing only after too long that it was not your fault. It was nobody's fault actually. Sometimes, feelings are gone. You finally are able to put the past behind you and forget, but sudden flashbacks and chanced-meetings reignite the dead flames and you wonder and you worry. Your heart is willing but your mind says no. 

And you follow your heart...   
  
  
  



End file.
